The Things Unseen

After such a long time of searching, I was finally able to track down the man who called himself king over our nation. It took me awhile, but eventually I was able to set up a one on one meeting with him. The reality was that no one even knew he existed where I lived until we were invaded by a neighboring country. It was sad to me that the king’s own people had to find out about him from a nation who was fighting against him. It came across as pathetic. Why would a leader not make himself known to everyone in the land? If even his own people didn’t even know about him, did he have the right to call himself king?... Well I think you know the answer to that. Anyway, one of his personal guards picked me up in a carriage and took me to the where the king lived. It surprised me that the king’s home was small and run down. It wasn’t as I had pictured in my mind. It definitely wasn’t a castle, and the garden was all dead. Plants were dying; trees were being infected by worms. It was rather sad looking, and it caused me to wonder if maybe we were at the wrong place.
Eventually the carriage stopped in front of the small house, and the guard opened the door for me. I got out and began walking towards the front door. Every step I took I felt even worse for the king. The floor posts were coming apart; the bushes lining the front lawn were all a brownish color. My knee brushed up against one of them, and the entire bush fell apart right before my eyes. How could this be a king’s home? I thought to myself.
The front door opened and I was greeted by a man dressed in a purple robe. He smiled at me and welcomed me in. He politely took my coat and hung it on the rack then motioned for me to sit down on the only chair visible in the house. I declined but he insisted, saying that I was the guest, and that he wanted to serve me. I of course couldn’t argue to such a thing (especially with a king), so I took the seat. He went into what I presumed was the kitchen, grabbed a small glass and came back out with it.
“Try some” he insisted. “It’s some of the best tea you have ever tasted.” I received the cup and took a sip. He was right, the tea had such a great taste to it, and the aroma it put off was enough to make a grown man tremble.
“So, what is the reason for your coming here?” asked the king. I set the cup down on a small table, and turned to face him.
“How is it that I have to find out about you from another country? If you call yourself my king then why don’t I know about you? Why do you live in such a rundown house instead of a castle, and why are you not protecting us from the invaders who just took over my home a few days ago?” I asked.

The king’s face grew cold, and immediately I felt sorry for being so harsh. I came here wanting so many questions to be answered, and I promised myself that I would be relentless in finding out answers, but now all I wanted to do was give the poor king a hug. I felt so sorry for him, but I didn’t even know why. There was a long pause before he said anything, and every silent moment made me feel even more sorrow towards him. Finally he spoke:
“You not knowing me is my greatest fear. I have spent years going out into the entire nation making myself known, but sadly I can’t get to everyone.”
“If you were a true king, wouldn’t you live in a bigger house? Why aren’t you in a palace or a castle, living large? A true king would be out showing off his wealth to others and revealing his glory to everyone he can.” I said.

The king stared at me for a second then walked over to the window and peered out towards the forest.
“Not everything in this world is about wealth,” he said. “Sometimes a true king is revealed through what he does, and the things that he stands for, not how he lives, or how much wealth he has. If I was to be the king that you described would you and I be having this conversation?” I thought about it for a moment then said no.
“Exactly. My people mean more to me than a castle, or a chest full of gold. I have had wealth in the past. Have you ever heard of a town called Roselday?” I thought for a moment, but the name didn’t ring a bell, so I answered no.
“Roselday was attacked by a neighboring country and was burned completely to the ground. Thousands of people were left homeless, lost, and broken. Everything that they knew and once had was gone in less than a day. They came to me for help and I listened. I gave them enough money to completely rebuild, and to build a massive wall to keep the enemy out. It is now one of my nation’s biggest cities.”
“Why didn’t you save the city beforehand, and build them a wall before all of this happened. You could have prevented so much destruction… And might I say, kept a large chunk of your wealth in the process,” I said. The king looked at me for a second then turned back to the window.
“Believe me I would have. But before they were invaded, they didn’t even know who I was, much like your situation. Only in their time of crisis did they ask me for help.”

If I saw correctly a tear was beginning to roll down the king’s cheek. Why was he crying? I thought to myself.
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked. “Are you crying?”
The king turned suddenly, wiped his cheek as quickly as possible, and then tried to reposition himself to cover up his tears, but he couldn’t. The tears continued to flow.
“I’m sorry.” He said. “Everyone keeps turning their back on me. I do so much for them, and yet just a few short days later, they have forgotten all that I have done for them. I have so much to offer my people, but they just won’t let me.” Not really sure what he meant, I asked: “What do you mean?”

The king walked over to a large chest and motioned for me to come over. He opened it up, and it was filled with riches and things I couldn’t even rap my head around. It was beautiful. I had never seen anything like it, and to just get my hands on it would be amazing.
“You have all of this, and yet you live in such a rundown house?” I asked.
“These riches are not for me, they are for my people. Everything I own is theirs if only they would just ask. I long for a relationship with them. Could you imagine what we could accomplish if we kept in constant communication? Man the world would change forever.”
“Then why don’t they?!?!?!?’’ I asked. I couldn’t rap my head around why so many people would pass up on such an amazing offer, then the next thing I heard him say, revealed it all.
“It comes with a price.”
“What price?” I asked.
“To experience this, you must come follow me.” He said as he pointed to the things inside of the chest.
“What do you mean follow you?” I asked.
“Everything you own, you must give up. You must choose to follow me instead of follow yourself.”

I thought for a moment. What could he mean give everything up? I was a very wealthy man; in fact I was the second wealthiest man in the nation, under only the king. But he couldn’t really mean give up everything, could he?
“Why, why should I give up anything for you?” I asked, kind of insulted that he would propose such a thing. I stood up from my chair and walked over to the door. I opened it up and walked out. Me give up everything? He was crazy. No one would ever do that, besides I had no reason to. I already had everything I could possibly want. What more could that silly king offer me? But the next thing he said stopped me dead in my tracks.
“How hard is it for the rich to enter the kingdom?”

It was said quietly, so I don’t think I was supposed to hear, but nevertheless I did, and I turned around.
“I don’t need you,” I said. “I have everything I could ever want!”
“Do you?” he asked.
“Yes! I have money… And riches…. I have enough servants to make my own army if I so desired.”
“And how did you come across those?” he asked….. I thought for a moment.
“I spent years working under the sun, serving others and building wealth the real way, through hard work, and a servant’s heart.” I said matter of factly. Anyway I was done with this conversation. I turned my back to the king and walked to the carriage. The driver opened the door for me, and I climbed in.
“Sir, it has been ordered to me that I take you a different way home. It will only take a few minutes,” said the carriage driver.
“Sure, whatever,” I said pushing him away. How could the king propose such a thing? There was no way I was going to give up what I had worked so hard to achieve, just to “follow him” what did that even mean anyway?

After a couple of minutes the carriage began to move, and I closed my eyes. I don’t know how long I was out, but soon the carriage came to a stop, and the driver told me to look out my window. I did and what I saw was the most beautiful castle I had ever seen. It was made out of solid gold, and I could just barely make out the tip of a fountain spewing out water. I tried to open my door to get out, but it was locked. Who puts a lock on a carriage door? I thought to myself. The carriage began to move again, and I let it go. Besides, I had everything I could ever want waiting for me when I got home.

A couple of hours passed, and we finally made it to my home. I tried the door and found it was unlocked, and stepped out into the bright afternoon sun.
“Good luck to you sir,” the driver said.
“And to you too,” I said. I saw one of my most trusted servants walking up the hill, and the sight of him made me smile.
“Oh wait, what was your name sir?” I asked the driver.
“David” he replied. I looked over next to him, and I saw a sling shot laying there. That’s interesting, I thought.
“What’s that? I asked.
“Oh just something to remember what has been done in my life,” he said. The driver took off in his carriage, and I watched him till he faded into view.